What does 'Leave no man behind' mean?

There's much we still don't know about the circumstances of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's capture, five-year captivity, and May 31 release in a trade for five Taliban prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay. The critics are arguing over details, but the one detail that matters most is that Bergdahl was the last captured soldier in Afghanistan as we prepare to leave that country.

We know the "Leave no man behind" military code is an official part of the Soldier's Creed taught in basic training. We know that "I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hand of the enemy…" is written and recited as part of the U.S. Army Ranger's mission statement.

It has been described as a contract. Soldiers promise to serve us and we promise not to leave them.

As President Barack Obama said in explaining the trade: "Regardless of the circumstances, whatever those circumstances may turn out to be, we still get an American soldier back if he's held in captivity… .We don't condition that."

We also know that some of the strongest critics of the deal that brought Bergdahl home were previously saying we should do everything possible to get him home.

Last year on the anniversary of Bergdahl's capture, Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Florida, introduced a resolution urging the U.S. to do "everything possible not to leave any members of the armed forces behind during the drawdown of Iraq and Afghanistan."

On Memorial Day, Sen. Kelly Ayote, R-New Hampshire, told us to keep Bergdahl in our thoughts and prayers and called on the Defense Department "to redouble its efforts to find Sergeant Bergdahl and return him safely to his family."

Sen. James Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, said last year that it was important "that we make every effort to bring this captured soldier home to his family."

Now they're objecting to the details. They don't like that we traded five Taliban held in Guantanamo.

I don't know whether these Taliban being sent to Qatar will end up fighting us later on. I know that major news outlets have been reporting the potential of trading these men since the summer of 2011. So it shouldn't have been a surprise for those delivering their "do everything possible" speeches. I know that with our imminent departure from Afghanistan, they might have been released soon anyway.

Many in Congress objected to not being notified of the Taliban prisoner transfer as required by law. I don't know whether the timing for closing a deal made notification unfeasible, as Obama claims.

I know that when he signed the bill requiring 30 days notice, the president issued a signing statement saying the restriction interfered with his executive power as commander-in-chief.

I know I dislike the use of signing statements. But I also know the Boston Globe tallied that, by 2006, President George W. Bush had issued 750 such signing statements, including ones absolving him from enforcement provisions on wiretap warrants and laws banning torture.

I don't know whether this trade constitutes negotiation with terrorists and encourages the capture of our soldiers. I do know that the Taliban aren't technically labeled as a terrorist group by the State Department. And I know the U.S. has negotiated with what many would consider "terrorists" before.

I don't know whether the allegation Bergdahl was a deserter who abandoned his post is true. I know it is under investigation by the military. But I know the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey, said that, like any American, Bergdahl is innocent until proven guilty and, "The questions about this particular soldier's conduct are separate from our effort to recover any U.S. service member in enemy captivity."

And I know that we can't live up to our contract with our soldiers if we start applying "Leave no man behind" based on whether we think a soldier is worthy enough to be retrieved.

I don't know whether we could have made a better deal. The only deal we know for sure could have been made is the one that was.

I don't know whether we really did everything possible. But I do know that if the after-the-fact do everything "except that" critics had their way, an American soldier would still be captive in the hands of the Taliban.

Ron Eachus of Salem is a former legislator and a former chairman of the Oregon Public Utility Commission. His column appears on Tuesdays. Send email to re4869@comcast.net.